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Remember and Honor Departed Loved Ones Oct 28 and 29 at Seattle Center

SEATTLE –  Seattle Center Festál presents Día de Muertos, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This heartfelt celebration will be held at the Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion, welcoming families, and communities to honor their dearly departed loved ones. This year the festival will focus on the generational sacrifices made by ancestors who now smile upon the living as they work to fulfill their dreams.  This event is free and open to the public.

Día de Muertos, known as the Day of the Dead, is a cherished tradition that allows families and communities to pay tribute to the spirits of their departed ancestors. It is a time when they can reconnect with them through joyous gatherings and remembrance. Rooted in the indigenous cultures of what is now Mexico, this sacred holiday has evolved over time, influenced by Spanish culture. Día de Muertos Festival Seattle continues this rich tradition, celebrating the lives of loved ones and affirming the eternal cycle of life and death through a tapestry of ancient customs, arts, and culture.

“One Seattle is about uplifting each and every one of our communities and celebrating their unique cultural traditions,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “The Dia de Muertos Festival at Seattle Center honors our Latino communities’ family members and loved ones, preserving and sharing their legacies for future generations.”

The festival offers an array of engaging activities for all ages, including traditional music and dance performances from Bailadores de Bronce, Correo Aereo, Grupo Folklorico Nuestras Raices, and Chinelos de Morelos that capture the spirit of Día de Muertos. Guests can view a tapete (sand painting) installation on display, showcasing intricate designs created with colorful sand. Visitors have the option to bring photographs and mementos to place on a community altar central to the ofrenda exhibit. To savor the flavors of this rich culture, there will be a delectable array of authentic Mexican food to enjoy.

“For more than two decades, Seattle Center has been a sacred gathering place for Día de Muertos, preserving and sharing this festival and tradition,” said Marshall Foster, Seattle Center Director. “We are happy to host such a vibrant festival and tradition year after year.”

Join us to honor those who have passed, and remember the origins of this beautiful tradition, which has evolved through the ages and continues to thrive in the community. Come celebrate the lives of loved ones and affirm the eternal cycle of life and death at Día de Muertos Festival Seattle.

For a full schedule of festival activities, visit the Seattle Center website.

About Día de Muertos Festival 

In 1998, a group of volunteers gathered to plan the first Day of the Dead in South Park. The celebration expanded from Concord Elementary School to other venues in the same area until 2003, when the festival moved to Seattle Center. Volunteers who believed in preserving the celebration as a legacy to future generations worked hard to produce the festival. In 2013, a new committee was formed and continued the mission of enriching the cultural value to the community and the Puget Sound at large.  

About Seattle Center Festál

Seattle Center Festál cultivates a deeper understanding of the cultures and ethnic diversity that contribute to the rich vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest. This unique series links together 24 free festivals presented on weekends from January to November, each with its own cultural focus, identity, and range of engaging activities. Seattle Center Festál is Where the World Gathers to celebrate the people, the places, the stories, and the traditions of the city’s communities. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with 24 different community groups and supported by City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, 4Culture, and KUOW. Festál is also part of the ArtsFund Cultural Partners Network.

About Seattle Center

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region. Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports, and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.

Seattle Center has expanded its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center supports managing these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming. 

Thanks to the support of Official Seattle Center Partners – Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Coors Light, Pepsi, Premera Blue Cross, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank – Seattle Center is the #1 arts and entertainment destination in the Pacific Northwest with 12 million annual visitors, generating $1.864 billion in business activity and more than $631 million in labor income annually.  www.seattlecenter.com